From my seatMH a/c reflection while taxiing pass a terminal under construction in FRA
Video and music on demand. Good IFE.

Distributing wet towels

You'll see him again without his jacket

Galley Shot

I find this funny. A/c are already non-smoking. Why notice for FA not to smoke?

After cleaning the lavatory, FA just left these on the crew seat. Not a very nice sight.

Preparing the meal cart
Hmmm the smell of fresh bread rolls.

FA gave me to complete a survey and gave me two cups of juice and 4 packets of peanuts!

More cabin shots

Meals
Menu was flashed on the screen. But I still prefer menu cards
Lunch - Chicken Nasi Biryani. Tasted like curry risotto. The rice was so mushy wet. Very flavorful though.
Snack box. I was given two boxes and more peanuts !!
Breakfast - Nasi lemak. It's from European kitchen, it's not the real thing. So it's not fair to slam it down.
Maybe MH should not cater this from non-Asian caterers. Croissant was good !!

Last LegKUL-SINMH 602 A330
STD 0810 20 Dec
I was already so dead. Really tired as i didn't sleep on the FRA-KUL.
Flight was less than 50% full.

Arrival in Changi

MH - I still enjoy taking their flights. Crew, meals, seat pitch and IFE are not too bad for the price you pay.
On this trip, the crew made my journey wonderful.
During their down time, I spoke to them and they become so friendly (they over fed me with peanuts, drinks, snack box and even offered me a second portion of main course which I declined).
On the KUL-FRA sector I'll always remember FA Muhaimin. We spoke for a good 45 mins taking about passengers, destinations, and the airline.
Well done MH ! (but their ground staff in KLIA have better improve)

Yucks, it looks disgusting. The nasi lemak looks terrible too, trust the Europeans to make an Asian dish like that. That being said, looking at that black plastic tray with the transparent top looks like a NWA flight, eh?

Thanks for spending your whole day coming up with this 3 parter. It was a joy to read...

1) How did you find FRA airport? On my last trip there, it was total chaos and confusion. Are things better at terminal 2?
2) Show us some pictures of Berlin. What's there to do in Berlin? Is this where Rolls Royce has their plant?
3) The last time I flew MH was almost 10 years ago (medium haul), when their inflight service was as atrocious as their ground service. I must say that their YCL meal presentation is in urgent need of an update. The serviceware looks really outdated and certainly doesn't enhance the visual appeal of the meal. The black plastic casserole that contained your chicken nasi bryani looks, to put it bluntly, really cheap... something you'd find on a US carrier. Which brings me to my next question..
4) What's MH positioning vis-a-vis its other Asian competitors nowadays? A low cost full service carrier?? Surely with the service it provides, and hardware onboard its aircrafts, it can well afford to price themselves higher and compete against the likes of TG! (I'm refraining from comparing MH with SQ for obvious reasons - MH supporters don't flame me, but IMHO, different league altogether).
5) Not meaning to nit-pick, but MH's kebaya doesn't quite flatter their girls' figures...especially if they're on the 'meaty' side.

Ya, I remembered your TR. I expected the worst from the immigration officers too.
The attitude was still there. But didn't ask any question.
T1 is so crowded. Still bit messy with construction boards, bare ceilings and wiring exposed. But still OK.T2 much better condition.

Inflight service - My experience with them has always been long haul. It has been always good.
May be short and medium sector - there's bit of difference. Some pax to these destination can also cause a problem and pain. So, crew also give an attitude and not so friendly. MH also tend to deploy their older and not so comfy a/c on these routes.

MH IFE is not that sophisticated and sure they don't have the variety as SQ. But still much better than TG.
On the whole. it's alright even on the 12 hr flight.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2):YCL meal presentation is in urgent need of an update

You said it man.
Even CI, TG, have changed their EY tray too. Only MH (maybe GA and PR) still have theirs in the style of the 80s.

I have a hunch the meal in the black casserole is not prepared by the kitchen but from a food production factory like Heinz or Swansons. Meals are like frozen TV meals. They cost much cheaper than the ones prepared in the kitchen which is prepared 'fresh' (about 1 day in advance) while the frozen ones maybe 2-3 months ahead.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2):What's MH positioning vis-a-vis its other Asian competitors nowadays? A low cost full service carrier?? Surely with the service it provides, and hardware onboard its aircrafts, it can well afford to price themselves higher and compete against the likes of TG!

If MH is not careful, TG will catch up with.
The only saving grace is MH heart ware of their inflight crew. Without them, their FCR, BCL product is comparable to many other airlines. But to compete with EK, QR, BA, SQ, CX, their overall product, even EYCL must show some improvement. No need the frills like SQ, but an update in new inflight service ware / product would be good like TG and CI.

As requested, good pal,

Berlin's a cool place. Lots of history of the 20th Century, architecture and museums. Berlin, after reunification is still under construction. Lots of cranes and construction work going on. Oh ya shopping and eating (sausages and steak sandwiches). Hmmm, don't know about Rolls Royce plant there.

A tribute to these brave people who tried to escape from East to West Berlin.

Sunset from the Reich-tag

Yummy sausages, pork knuckle and sauerkraut at Christmas fair

Our apartment with our groceries

The majestic Berlin Dome

The famous Brandenburg Gate

Jewish memorial park with Reich-tag in the background

The now defunct Berlin Wall -- symbol of the Cold War

Check Point Charlie

Olympic Stadium

Homemade German fare

Krakow, Poland
Lots of people say Krakow's a nicer place than Warsaw. It's a hip and happenning place. Value for money place for Western Europeans.

Main square

From Krakow, it's a must to visit Auschwitz Memorial Museum
The insanity of mankind

Oscar Schindler's factory in Krakow (as seen in the movie). Pity the museum was closed for renovations when we're there.

Wow, excellent pictures and the food looked delicious! Were you on a holiday or in Germany/Poland to attend a Gourmet fair!? Did you cook all those food yourself or do you actually have equally talented cooks amongst your friends?

Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 1):See that old looking metal bin on the top right? That is an antique container from the "wau-bulan" era of MAS. Some of their coffee / tea pots still carry the wau bulan logo!

It's 'Wau Kucing'. 'Wau Bulan' is the kite at the back of Malaysia's 50 cent coin.

Hey great report and pictures... Your trip started out bad, but seems like it picked up as you went along. The food looks amazing and the pictures from Berlin & Krakow also look awesome. Thanks a bunch for sharing this wonderful trip report with us. I truly enjoyed reading all 3 parts of your trip report...

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 5):Your trip started out bad, but seems like it picked up as you went along. The food looks amazing and the pictures from Berlin & Krakow also look awesome. Thanks a bunch for sharing this wonderful trip report with us. I truly enjoyed reading all 3 parts of your trip report...

Thanks guys! Really glad you liked it.
Happy to share the experience espacially to many A.netters who maybe going there for a visit.

Personally, I kindda like the older logo than the present one. The simlple bold font and red color looks good too. The current one, not stylish lah.

Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 1):Yucks, it looks disgusting. The nasi lemak looks terrible too, trust the Europeans to make an Asian dish like that. That being said, looking at that black plastic tray with the transparent top looks like a NWA flight, eh

Oh ya, the nasi lemak from FRA (by CGI Catering) was lousy. Silly me, what the hack was I thinking when I choose the Nasi Biryani and Nasi Lemak option from ex non-asian caterers. I should have known better to choose the international option rather than the asian one. Anyways, I think it was the aroma. It smelt so good, but the meal was a let down.
The black plastic casserole with transperant top might come from the same food production supplier to the catering company. These catering company do not cook any part of the meal, they just assemble the food on the tray and sent to the a/c. If you notice every componant on the EY tray can be bought off the shelves and assembled. By doing this, it really cut the cost of the meals for the airline.

Those were some great trip reports, thanks for posting them. Its been a while since I have flown MH, but I still remember my experience well. The ground service does sound like its needs a major overhaul, but in flight service still seems to be on top.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2):1) How did you find FRA airport? On my last trip there, it was total chaos and confusion. Are things better at terminal

I actually used to call FRA my home airport for five years. Have moved on since then and miss it dearly. FRA may have its problems, but is a very efficient airport with some stunning views from Terminal 2. I still think that is the best McDonalds in the world!

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2):4) What's MH positioning vis-a-vis its other Asian competitors nowadays? A low cost full service carrier?? Surely with the service it provides, and hardware onboard its aircrafts, it can well afford to price themselves higher and compete against the likes of TG! (I'm refraining from comparing MH with SQ for obvious reasons - MH supporters don't flame me, but IMHO, different league altogether)..

Not flaming you at all, just trying to stimulate friendly conversation. Now you are right about the hard ware on MH, very much lacking when compared to SQ. The food on my BOM-LAX flight in Business may actually have been some of the worst catering I have experienced on any airline. However this was back in 2005 when the new product was just begining its implementation phase, I hear it has improved dramatically now. However if we compare MH cabin crew to the famous Singapore girl, you are right they are in a different league altogether! Give me a MH, KE, or 9W girl over SQ any day of the week.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2):5) Not meaning to nit-pick, but MH's kebaya doesn't quite flatter their girls' figures...especially if they're on the 'meaty' side.

I actually like it better than the Singaporean kebaya, I guess its a matter of personal opinion. The MH male uniform is hideous though, they look some cheap street side magician. However the red kebaya SQ uses tops my list of all time favorite uniforms, really stunning!

Quoting SR 103 (Reply 9):However if we compare MH cabin crew to the famous Singapore girl, you are right they are in a different league altogether! Give me a MH, KE, or 9W girl over SQ any day of the week.

As much as I love SQ, I have to admit that when it comes to cabin crew service, SQ has lost its edge to the likes of those airlines you mentioned above. But what I was really referring to was how it has positioned itself in the market. While SQ continues to benchmark itself with the best, and continuously try to be at the top of everything, MH on the other hand, seemed to be competing with the likes of LCCs such as Air Asia, which it shouldn't for the kind of software and hardware it has. IMHO, why lower yourself when you should be aiming high?

Quoting SR 103 (Reply 9):FRA may have its problems, but is a very efficient airport with some stunning views from Terminal 2. I still think that is the best McDonalds in the world!

Unfortunately for me, I was probably in FRA at a time when it was not its most efficient and that was why I only saw the problems it is currently experiencing. Best MacDonalds?... hmm yeah I guess Fraport would be delighted to know that's what they're best remembered for